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Letters Patent No. 66,368, dared Juzg 2, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN GATES.v

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: y l

Be it known that I, E. A. MATTHIESSEN, of Cornwall, in the county of Orange, and State of New York,

have invented certain new and' useful Improvements in `Automatic Gates; and I4 do hereby declare that the following is a full,` clear, and exact description ofthe saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a portion of'this specification, in whichi Figure l is a plan or top view of a gate constructed'according to my invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of and partial section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

This invention relates to that class of gates which are oper-ated to permitA the passage of vehicles by .the action of such vehicles in approaching or leaving the same; and itconsists in astationary double-inclined plane and two vertically 'moving inclined planes in combination with a laterally swinging gate, whereby the latter may be made to open in, either direction or be brought to a closed position with very great readiness and facility. The invention further consists .in a novel means whereby the gate is effectually retained in an open position while a vehicle is passing through the same; and furthermore, in certain novel arrangements of parts, whereby the most etlicient operation of the more prominent-features of the invention is secured.

To enable others to understandtheconstruction and operation vof my invention, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the drawings.

The gate-posta is furnished at its inner side, and at a little` distance therefrom, with a vertical cylindrical i rod, b; uponthe lower end of which is a suppouting washerplate, a, resting on a suitable fixed plate, b. The

gate A. is attached to this rod b by means'of two slotted lugs or ears c, each of which is furnished with two grooved rollers a', the rod b beingpassed between the said rollers, as indicated more fully in fig. 2, so that the vgate may not. only s'wing around upon the rod b, but may also move vertically thereon, as hereinafter fully set forth. The other gate-post is shown at d, and is furnished with aiixed catch, b', which receives the end of the` gate-latch cf, to hold the gate in a closed positie-n, (see iig. 1.) Formed adjacent to the post a, and extending longitudinally with reference to the'roadway, which the gate is designed to close, is n. covered `cavity or pit,

shown at B in Eg. 2j and extending downward into the upper 'part of this pit, from the inner end of the gate, is a'vertical arm, e, the lower end .of which is furnished .with a friction-roller, e, the said friction-roller resting upon a semicircular bar secured to a suitable supportuat one side ofthe pit B, and the upper surface of which is formed Withtwo inclines, as shown atf, thelower and inner ends of which are joined at e. The length of the friction-roller just mentioned is considerably more than the width of the barrf, which, for convenience of description, I denominate the double-i11clined'-plane. So situated as to be capable of moving upward upon the inside ofthe aforesaid double-i'nclineo-:l` planef, is a single-inclined plane, g, which, in its cross-section, is of semicircular form, and which is secured transversely upon the. upright portion of the inner arm of a lever, h, the

fulc'rum of which is shown atf', and the-short or outer arm'of which Vis connectedV with the inner end of a secondary lever, t', pivoted at g', and furnished'near its pivoted extremity with avertical rod, Ic, the upper end o'f which `extends somewhat above theisurface of the plank covering A* of the pit B, as shown in g. 2, and the purpose of which will be hereinafter fully explained. Suspended from the inner end ofthe lever It is a weight, Z, the bottom of which is dat, and which is situated close toone side of a rectangular frame, C, fixed ait one side of the pit B, underneath the double-inclined planef hereinbefore described. Another inclined plane, marked m, also semicircular in its cross-section, and with its upper surface sloping in a direction opposite to that of the inclined plane g, is placed outside of the double-inclined planefin such manner that it may move vertically, and is secured upon ailever, connected with a lever, z'i, furnishedwith an upwardlylextending rod, cl, theisaid 'levers It* i* and rod k* corresponding to the levers h z' and rod lc, hereinbetore described, of the inclined plane g. The lever h* is furnished with a weight, I?, similar to the-weight l, but situated close to that side of the frame G opposite such weight Z. Each of the secondary levers ii* is furnished with a supplemental weight, a*.A Pivoted upon the under side of the frame C'is a plate, it, the lateral movement of which is limited by a screw or pin, n', passed through a suitable transverse slot in the said plate. This plate is moved one way or the other bya'vertical lever, r, pivoted at the top of theframe C, and having its crossbar r* conf nected at each end with a lever, s, by means of a link, si, the outermost ends of the levers s being provided with vertical levers t, the upper ends of which extend upward somewhat above the surface of the plank covering A*, in a manner similar to the corresponding ends of the rods L Secured in any suitable manner upon the covering A* just mentioned are guides D, which 4are designed to properly guide or direct the wheels of the vehicle in operating the gate, one pair or set of such guides being placed one upon each side of the upwardlyextending end of each ofthe rods h it* and bars t, as represented in fig. 1.V Placed over the aforesaid end of each rod z it* and bar t is an elastic plate, w, attached at one end to the coveringr Ai, and designed to facilitatethe action ofthe wheels of the vehicle in pressing such rodsdownward in operating the gate. In order to prevent dirt, dust, dto., from falling through the openings in the covering A, through which are passed the upper ends ofthe rods c le* and bars t, an apron, fr, of cloth, leather, or other like flexible material, is placed over the same, between the aforesaid ends oi' such rods and bars and the plates w above them. It should be mentioned that the rod k er 7c* should be placed at such a distance from the adjacent bar t that the wheels ofthe vehicle, after having acted upon one, may pass entirelyr therefrom before acting upon the other.-

v In operating the gate, one of the forward wheels of the vehicle approaching the same passes between' the iirst or nearest pair of guides D upon the plate w, between the same', and presses downward the bar t underneath. The said bar t, acting through the lever s, link 8*, and lever r, turns the plate n laterally, so that it projects somewhat beyond that side of the frame C toward the vehicle, as is indicated by the position of the said plate as shown in tig. 2; the wheel advancing then passes between the next pair of guides D, upon the plate w thereof, and pressing down rod k or 7c*, as the case `may be, causes the same to elevate the-inclined plane g or m connected therewith, as hereinbefore explained, such inclined plane striking the friction-roller c, and raising the gate so that its latch c is brought clear of the fixed catch b', whereupon the roller c, rolling upon the inclined plane thus elevated, swings or turns the gate around upon the rodb in the direction from which the vehicle approaches, simultaneously with which the weight Z or Zl, as the case may be, being raised with the inclined planeconne'cted therewith, catches upon the laterally-projacting edge of the plate n, and, operating somewhat after themanner of a spring-catch, holds the aforesaid inclined plane in its elevated condition, and thus retains the gate in an open position until the wheel of the vehicle, passing between the two pairs of guides D at the opposite side of the gate, forces down the other bar t and moves the plate n laterally tothe other side of'the frame C, thus releasing the weight Z or Z*, as the case may be, and enabling the saule, together with one of the weights (1*, to depress the inclined plane to its original position, somewhat below the double-inclined planef, whereupon the roller e, coming upon one of the inclines of the said double-inclined plane, rolls upon the same, and causes thegate to swing inward until the aforesaid roller reaches the most depressed portion a of the said double incline, whereupon the gate, being brought into a clo'sed position, the latch e catches upon the catch and serves to hold it in its place.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isl. The fixed double-inclined plunef and the two vertically-moving inclined planesg in., in combination with each otherv and the laterally swinging gate A, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The laterally moving plate 71v and the weights or catches l bi, in combination with the levers whichv operate the inclined planes g m, whereby the gate'is retained in an open position, substantially as herein set forth.'

3. The levers L hi, levers t'*, and vertical rods /c c*, arranged in relation with each other and with the inclined planes g m and the arm e of the gate A, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The vertical bars t, levers s, and links sk, arranged with reference to each other and to the lever r and plate n, whereby the said plate may be operated to hold and release the weights or catches ZZi", substantially as herein set forth.

5. The guides D, plates w, and aprons 1f, arranged in relation with each other and with the vertical rods lc le* and bars t, substantially as herein set forth for the purpose specified.

E. A. MATT HIESSEN.

Witnesses:

J. W. CooMns, G. W. REED. 

